Lauren had me read from the Bible study she is working through at the moment. The main reading was Exodus 18 v1-27, in which Moses’ father-in-law Jethro visits and advises Moses to appoint people to help him with the work of resolving disputes – ‘“This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. ‘(Exodus 18:17 – 18 NLT) and additional readings from Deuteronomy 17 and Acts 6

The readings are all about seeking help, and sharing the work, not relying entirely on ourselves:

Don’t miss this: The concept of self-reliance is wholly foreign to the Christian faith. We are created to need God and others. We are designed for interdependence and community. There is no such thing as a Lone Ranger Christian. It matters that we understand this as we listen for the echo of our own story in that of Moses. Jen Wilkin, She Reads Truth – Lent 2018

Self-reliance is so often held up as a goal we should all be aiming for and should all be able to achieve, but these passages show how Moses, other old-testament time leaders, and the apostles leading the early church not only needed, but were actively told to seek help from their communities.

Comment?

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